


When you fall (like I knew you would)

by whynotcherries



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Arguing, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-30
Updated: 2020-09-30
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:35:37
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 926
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26736724
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whynotcherries/pseuds/whynotcherries
Summary: Post-argument, mostly just apologizing a *lot* from Emma's side.
Relationships: Baelfire | Neal Cassidy/Emma Swan
Comments: 4
Kudos: 8





	When you fall (like I knew you would)

**Author's Note:**

> Hiiii, remember how I wrote as one of my goals for this year to write more? What happened to that? 
> 
> Anyway, I tried to do this, it's mostly a result of me not being able to come up with an idea and twisting around a song to fit some sort of prompt (we love To Kill a King). I hope it's not garbage, at least! :)

Emma never really _meant_ to let herself fall back in love with Neal.

It kinda just happened over time, slowly with all of the times he stayed over for dinner, the nights he spent on their couch because he looked so tired that she wasn’t comfortable with him driving home, the times he laughed at her making a mess in the kitchen and-

She really hadn’t meant to.

If she’d caught herself sooner, she certainly wouldn’t have let it go on. But she hadn’t, and he better not have either because if he had and hadn’t said anything… oh boy, would they have words.

What are you supposed to do when you’re in a fight with a sort-of-friend-but-also-person-you’re-in-love-with, anyway?

Especially when you know you were definitely at fault; and not because you did something wrong, or they did and you just took it out of proportion, but you for _sure_ made up the scenario in your head.

Blaming it on paranoia seemed like a not so great plan, especially because the _severity_ of what she’d said- well, it hadn’t been anything short of brutal, that’s for sure.

It had been, what, almost three days, since she had last spoken to him? And he hadn’t made an apology yet; rightfully so, as he wasn’t the one who owed one, but it would be so much easier if he had.

As she thinks of what she could possibly say to make up for the things she’d said, she’s reminded of them. Memories of it flashback all at once, and _god_ , if only she could go back to seventy-two hours ago and tell herself to end the conversation before she let it get to the point it had.

“ _Why would you even come back, it’s clear you don’t want to be,_ ” she’d said, and she’d watched his face fall as she continued spewing insanity, “ _you should’ve just stayed in New York,_ ” she’d continued on, watching as he watched the ground as she talked and then turned around and left, only saying that he’d send Henry home after dinner the next day.

She wants to bang her head into a wall just thinking about it because what the hell would _possess_ her to think that’s an okay thing to say to someone. He hadn’t even done much to provoke it- he’d just asked where she’d been before she got to Storybrooke. Clearly, that hit a nerve for some reason.

After a minute of just replaying it again and again and _again_ , she walks to the door and grabs her coat, “Uh, Henry, I’m going out for a little bit, uh… don’t burn the house down, okay?” and she goes.

It takes a minute of just walking to come up with the courage to actually go to his apartment, and another few standing in front of his door before she settles on just waiting. Waiting for him to come outside or waiting for herself to chicken out and leave, she couldn’t decide.

Eventually one comes before the other as the door opens, and she thinks about how big of a mistake this was- she should’ve come up with a legitimate plan before she’d left the house, let alone before she’d parked it in front of his door.

He stops mid-exit, looking down at her, “Uh, hi,” he says, and as much as she can tell he’s trying to act like everything is fine, she can see the hurt in his eyes saying that it was absolutely _not_ fine.

“Hey,” she breathes, looking up at him, “I, uh. I didn’t mean what I said, I-”

“I know,” he says, looking at the ground, “it’s fine, I probably deserved that, honestly, it’s-”

She shakes her head, “You didn’t. That was really,” she pauses, trying to just remember to _breathe_ , “really not called for,” she says looking up a little nervously, trying to just read his expression, “I’m sorry.”

He nods, still resembling nothing short of a kicked puppy, “It’s okay,” he whispers.

“It’s not,” she argues, “I- you didn’t do anything wrong. I shouldn’t have yelled at you,” she says, “I got upset because I don’t know how to, you know,” she gestures, “do this whole… _thing_ ,” she mumbles.

He chuckles a bit, continuing to watch the floor instead of her, “I know,” he chuckles out.

“Ouch, okay, god,” she chuckles, standing up, “blunt much?”

He shrugs, still avoiding her eyes, “Well, you’re not one to talk,” he says, glancing up at her through the tops of his eyes.

She nods, smiling apologetically, “I just, I wanted to let you know that I didn’t mean any of that, what I said, it was-”

He nods, interrupting, “I get it,” he assures. 

She shakes her head, “I don’t think you do,” she says, pausing, “I- god, I hate this _so much_ ,” she laughs, looking down, “I love you, is all, and I- I don’t know what that _means_ , I just know that I yelled because I was scared, and-” 

“I love you, too,” he interrupts, and in the midst of her rant, she almost doesn’t hear him.

“To leave, and- wait, what?” she halts, and he nods, smiling a little bit at her, “Oh. I didn’t think…”

He smiles a little again and she all but launches herself at him, throwing her arms around his neck. “I’m so sorry,” she mumbles, squeezing him extra tight just as he begins processing what she’s doing and hugs her back. 

“You said that,” he whispers, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath.

She nods, “I know.”


End file.
